HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT WATER?

A cat which is offered a nice cold bath will not appreciate the offer nearly as much as a fish. Most teenagers would probably find the offer less than irresistible, too. It might be fun to explore some of those attitudes in class. How about bringing water to trial? After all, it does do some cruel and damaging things as well as good things. Who owns the earth's water? And who is responsible for looking after it?

LOOKING FOR WATER

Water is a master of disguise.
Take the tomato out of tomato juice, for example, and what have you got? Water, of course.ke

LET'S LOOK AT WATER LEVELS

If we don't drink water, in some form or another, we die within three or four days.ink

LET'S LOOK AT EXERCISE

Regular Soft Drinks and the latest range of Sports Drinks provide a necessary boost - not only to our liquids levels but also to our energy needs after strenuous exercise and sport.

LEAD A HORSE TO WATER but...

Remember, the human body consists mostly of water...water which is lost each day with every breath and through every pore as well as through routine elimination cycles. This water has to be replaced, and although there's quite a lot of water in solid foods like fruit and vegetables (most people get about 30 per cent of their minimum daily fluid needs from non-fluid foods) that isn't nearly enough to replace the losses without a considerable intake in fluid form every day.

Every bodily component, from the individual cell to the entire circulation system, depends upon water to function. And if you don't top up with a fresh intake of liquid regularly your body will pull the water it needs out of your cellular structure, to look after more urgent jobs.

LET'S FACE IT

In many parts of Australia decaying water systems and essential chemical treatments are reducing the appeal of the water we buy from our local authorities.

Minimum body water losses for a sedentary teenager. Note the word sedentary: one hour's hard exercise could increase these levels by up to a litre.

LIGHTENING CHANGES

One-third to one-half of Australians are overweight, and more and more of them are recognising the need to lose some of that weight. That's why the lowjoule and diet soft drinks make up the fastest-growing segment of the entire soft drink market.